Christmas Magic
by flower on thewind
Summary: AU. Christmas is tough for Ichigo's family this year. Will Tatsuki be able to save Christmas for the Kurosaki family? Or will Christmas be a disappointment? no pairings yet, rated for bad language, please R&R!
1. Baby It's Cold Outside

A/N: Okay, so i'm back, and i'm late! I had this idea for a month now, but I've been too busy to write it up. Anyways, it's loosely related to my other Christmas fic from last year. So I would suggest reading that first and then this one. Anyways, **this fic is slightly AU**. So no complaining okay? Unlike my other fics, I'm going to try and experiment on chapter lengths (make it shorter!). Um, I'm not a constant writer, so please forgive me for that... It's already amazing that this fic is starting at all! This chapter may or may not undergo some changes since I briefly proof read it, but not as much as I liked to. So without further ado, enjoy!

Christmas Magic

Chapter 1

It was cold.

Snow floated down from the heavens as people hustled and bustled through their last minute Christmas shopping. A happy murmur on the streets of Karakura Town set the tone for this freezing December day. Tatsuki Arizawa was among these crowds, holding white plastic shopping bags filled with various items. In her other hand, was a crumpled list of things to do.

"...Mom's gift . . . got that. Orihime's stuff, got that . . . geez, I'm forgetting something . . . Oh! I know! I need to get the ice-Offff!"

Tatsuki, in her thoughtless wanderings, burrowed over some poor unfortunate soul.

"Itai!" muttered the small person.

"Oh, I'm really sorry! Wow, I'm an idiot... Here, let me help you... geez I'm such a-" Tatsuki rambled embarrassedly at her clumsy mistake. The person giggled.

"It's okay Tatsuki! Nothing's damaged! Hehe -;" Yuzu Kurosaki exclaimed warmly. Her pink cheeks and wide grin were a warm welcome to Tatsuki.

"Yuzu? What are you doing out? It's Christmas Eve! Usually your family has things finished by today..."

"Ah, it's nothing really! We're just... a bit behind this year, that's all..." Yuzu said, but there was something in the way she trailed off that meant something more... Tatsuki decided not to press the issue and finished gathering Yuzu's fallen grocery bags. "So where are you off to, Tatsuki?"

"Ano, I just finished my Christmas shopping... but I need to pick up some icing for my gingerbread cookies this year."

"Ooh, we have some at our place! We even have icing sugar, so you can make it from scratch too. Why don't you go to our place for a bit? Please? You hardly come over anymore! Ichigo... ah... well... please?" Yuzu's facial expressions varied from ecstatic, to hesitant, to hopeful - a very colourful personality in Tatsuki's opinion.

"Um, sure. It saves me money this way... but... you sure you want me over? I mean, Ichigo's all busy with his stuff and I might just get in the way or something." Tatsuki muttered... Over the past couple of years, Tatsuki's friendship with Ichigo seems to have changed a lot. Ever since she met Orhime and that girl, Rukia, showed up to town... It's not that Tatsuki is jealous or anything, but things just haven't been the same since. Perhaps Tatsuki was underplaying the strange monster/ghost sightings, and the occasional what-the-hell-Ichigo-is-a-ghost-with-a-FREAKISHLY-HUGE-SWORD moments. Whatever was going on, Tatsuki knew she wasn't part of it, and any deeper thoughts on the matter was irrelevant. Tatsuki tells herself these things over and over again, but maybe... just maybe... Tatuski didn't want to think about it because it hurt.

"Nope. Ichigo isn't home most of the time. He's usually out with his friends." Yuzu answered curtly. "Just come over! It's so quiet this year, and I have so much to get done! We still have to put up the Christmas Tree, and I have gifts to wrap! But when am I going to have the time to do all of these when I have to make dinner and clean the house too? Please help?" Yuzu then pulled out her ultimate weapon: her puppy dog pout.

'Oh hell, she didn't have to pull out all the works for this!' was Tatsuki's thought as she almost literally stumbled back from the sheer power that pout had. 'Geez, if she were an only child, she could probably ask for a whole town and get it.'

"Fine, fine, fine. I wasn't going to say no, anyways." Tatsuki half heartedly grumbled.

Yuzu giggled in triumph. "Hehe, you know what? You reminded me of Ichigo when you said that." She pulled her eyebrows together and mock frowned. "I'm Ichigo, and I'm always grumpy!" Tatsuki had to give a hoot of laughter at that. Not only was Yuzu a cute little girl, but the expression was pretty close to the original.

"Okay little sister, let's get going!" Tatsuki announced while hauling her bags, as well as Yuzu's, for the journey home.

Yuzu couldn't help but smile at how right it sounded coming from Tatsuki...

Little sister...

* * *

It was halfway on their journey home when the topic came up. Yuzu was happily telling Tatsuki about school when Ichigo came up again. 

"Yeah, the winter play was really cool this year! I was given a leading role part, and Karin was the lead person for the special effects team. Dad was overly dramatic, as usual, and Ichigo didn't make it because of detention... but that's okay."

"What detention?" Tatsuki asked quickly. She was on the Student Disciplinary Commity, and god damnit, she should know these things. Ichigo hasn't had detention for a long time. Their teachers this year were a joke. You could smoke in their classes and they wouldn't even care.

"It was 3 weeks ago, that one. Hehehe, I bet he has so many that people don't even think about it anymore. Sigh, that brother... I wish he wouldn't get into trouble so much." Yuzu wished outloud. Tatsuki was tempted to explain that Ichigo hasn't had detention, but bit her tounge against it. Better to be blissfully ignorant than burdened with the truth.

Instead, she snorted, "That stupid asshole, I should beat some sense into that bastard. Teach that guy some respect for his sisters! Geez, how could that idiot forget his own sister's performance? You guys were in LEAD positions too! God, I want to-"

"Nononono, don't think badly of my brother, he's really a good guy still! He's just been preoccupied with things... Dad keeps saying it's because he's a teenager and stuff... but... I don't know... If all teenagers are like that, then I don't want to become a teenager ever! I just... wished that he'd be home more often for Christmas... that's all. I saved the tree till last minute so that he would help out with it, but I'm starting to think that we'll have to do it without him...gah, he makes me so worried!"

Tatsuki snorted inwardly. '_Preoccupied with things... yeah like monsters with demon masks and short, pretty girls that mysteriously transfer out of nowhere...no... whatever. Don't think about it... Ichigo is just being an ass, that's all. Leaving his sisters alone for Christmas..._'

"That's okay! I'll help with the Christmas tree. It'll be us girls and your dad! Who cares about Ichigo. He parties with his friends way too much anyways... serves him right if he misses out on fun!" Tatsuki cheered. They didn't need stupid boys to ruin their holiday.

"Haha, you're right, Tatsuki! We should enjoy Christmas! It'll be a whole year before it comes again." Yuzu grinned. Maybe Christmas will be merry after all... but still... Yuzu couldn't help but feel that Tatsuki would have made a really nice older sister...

The snow kept falling, but it didn't seem as cold with the company.

* * *

A/N: yeah, there's more to come. I appologize again for a Christmas fic being posted after Christmas. Ummm, I'm not sure if there will be romance here. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a family fic... but hey, i can always change it ; so tell me what you like and don't like, and i'll try again! 


	2. Tatsuki To The Rescue

A/N: Okay! So I've been revising and revising again... I can't seem to get out of my rusty-ness... This is upsetting! I hope that my rusty skills will disappear as the story goes on... i have written farther than this... but it seems that i keep going back and re-writing! I finally decided that enough's enough, and posted this chapter. Um... Sorry for the OCC-ness, I tried!!!! I really did...agh, please forgive me. I am determined to see this one through! Then, i can maybe go back to some of my older fics and finish them... well...with out further interuptions, i present to you...

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any sort of way... this fanfiction is for entertainment purposes for fans.

"What took you so long?" Karin asked when the two frozen people-sicles stumbled into the house.

"Look who I bumped into, Karin! It's Tatsuki! She's going to hang out here and help out!" Yuzu gushed to her twin.

"Oh...that's great." Karin said with indifference and appeared to go back to watching TV. On a closer look, one could tell from her eyes that she was happy with the company. Tatsuki sat down beside Karin to watch the TV show with her.

"You watch American wrestling? You know it's all fake right?" Tatsuki pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's entertaining nonetheless." Karin drawled out.

Tatsuki gave a devilish grin, "Hell yeah. I used to watch it a lot too. Who do you think is more stupid? Kurt Angle or King Booker?"

"Honestly, they're all stupid... but I think Triple H is the worst."

"Ew... you're right. Hahaha, Funaki is wrestling Oh god, he gives us a bad name... look, they're not even touching each other!" Tatsuki exclaimed. She was getting into the show. Karin snickered.

"Yeah... but some wrestlers are worth watching..." Karin said sombrely. Tatsuki gave a puzzled look to the ceiling. She should know this! She's only been watching WWE since forever...

"Uuuh? Like who? Oh...OH! I know!" There was a moment where everyone held their breath.

"The Hardy Boyz." They snickered at the same time.

"I didn't know you watched this stuff..." Karin mused out loud. Tatsuki grinned to herself while remembering all the fun stuff she did as a kid. The good old days of watching American wrestling and mimicking the moves were embarrassing and long past, but those memories were still dearly kept. For example, there was this one time... a long time ago, of course...

**Flashback**

"And Booker T goes down to a Low Blow done by Triple H! Did you see that? Did you see that??" The commentator for the then WWF screamed into the mike. A young Ichigo and Tatsuki sat with eyes glued to the TV screen. "Oh, here goes Triple H for the pin... ONE... TWO... THR - Oh my GOD, Triple H has been struck with a STEEL CHAIR by none other than Stephanie McMahon! HIS OWN WIFE, HIS OWN WIFE STRUCK HIM WITH A STEEL CHAIR!"

"Hey, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked with her eyes still watching the match. "Why was the Low Blow so powerful on Booker T?" Ichigo looked at Tatsuki with a weird face.

"Silly, you know that Sensei said it's a weak spot on guys. And to always hit it if a bad guy tried to hurt us." Ichigo replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Yeah but look at him, he's been lying there since forever, and he's still not getting up! It can't hurt thaaaaaat much, silly." Tatsuki pouted while both Booker T and Triple H were passed out in the ring. "He should have gotten up by now!"

"Er...well...I don't know... it really does hurt though..." Ichigo said meekly. He hoped his mom wasn't nearby. He wasn't supposed to talk about private parts... but heck, he wasn't even sure if Tatsuki knew about a boy's private part since she didn't have any brothers.

"Really? Yeah right." Tatsuki broke her glance to look at Ichigo suspiciously. Was he lying? Suddenly a devious smile graced Tatsuki's lips... one that scared Ichigo very VERY much. "Ichigo, stand up."

"T-Tatsuki... d-don't look at me like that!" Ichigo stood up in spite of himself and took a few steps back.

"What? I'm serious! There's no way it could hurt THAT much. You definitely won't be out forever like Booker T! I bet he's just faking it – just like his punches! His hits don't even hurt the other guy! See, that's fake blood, it's gotta be." Tatsuki reasoned. There was something about Tatsuki's commanding tone that Ichigo couldn't say no to, even though it was WRONG.

"Well... um... I guess it can't hurt for THAT long. You're probably right... Booker T does faking it. But still... I don't really want to be hit the- Tatsuki! D-don't c-come closer! It's going to hurt, IT'S GOING TO HURT!" Yet as Ichigo said this, his feet would not move.

"Ichigo, you crybaby... I'm just going to try the move Sensei taught us yesterday. Don't worry, I'll pull my hits." Tatsuki explained calmly before giving Ichigo a swift kick "down there".

Oh God.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Tatsuki. First Ichigo's eyes widen, and his jaw dropped loose while his body bent forward from the blow. Then, his eyebrows came together in a grimace before his legs gave way. Finally, his faced turned red, then a sickly purple before some sound escaped from his lips.

"Ngggh..." Ichigo lay crumpled on the floor in pain.

"Ichigo?" Tatsuki's expression was fleetingly worried before snapping back into her usual persona. "Stop acting like a crybaby...Ichigo? Uh...Ichigo...?"

"Arrrrrgh!!!!! Nggggh..." Tears were falling from Ichigo's clenched eyes. Normally, Tatsuki would brush this off since Ichigo ALWAYS cried... but... this time it looked like he really WAS hurt.

"Ichigo? Ichigo??? Does it really hurt that much? Come on, talk to me! ICHIGO???" Tatsuki panicked. All Ichigo responded with were whimpers of pain.

"Uh oh..." Tatsuki uttered before turning wide eye to the rest of the house. "Um... uh... Mrs. Kurosaki??? MRS. KUROSAKI???? I...uh... I THINK I BROKE SOMETHING INSIDE ICHIGO!!!!! COME QUICKLY!!!!! HE'S REALLY HURT!" Tatsuki yelled. Her loud cries sent Masaki running down the stairs.

"Oh my goodness, what happend????? ICHIGO, YOU'RE FACE IS BLUE!!!" She cried.

"Ano... we were watching wrestling and I tried one of the moves, and now I broke something in Ichigo! And I'm really REALLY sorry! Will he live? Is he okay?" Tatsuki babbled.

Needless to say... That day, Tatsuki got a long lecture from Kurosaki Masaki inappropriate body parts to touch. But to Tatsuki... that will be the first and last day she ever low blowed Ichigo.

**End Flashback **

"I've always wanted to try that move." Karin exclaimed, taking Tatsuki out of memory lane.

"EH?" Tatsuki exclaimed all panicky. Then she noticed that Karin changed the channel, and a soccer game was showing. "Oh! Oooh, soccer...uh.. W-well, go ahead, but... be careful... you wouldn't want a red card or anything..." Karin rolled her eyes. What did Tatsuki know about her skills? It's not like an awesome check could hurt anyone! ...well... okay...maybe it could... but whatever, it's not like Tatsuki would understand her sudden interest in trying out new moves seen on TV...

"Is ni-san and dad home?" Yuzu asked, startling the two girls out of their TV musings.

"Dad's in the clinic right now... and Ichigo is..."

"Right here." a baritone voice answered. Yuzu's head shot up and spun around. She had the hugest smile on her face.

"NI-SAN! You're home! Ooh, this is great! I invited Tatsuki over! She's going to help us prepare for Christmas."

Tatsuki was watching from the couch as the family had their interactions. At times like this she felt a bit awkward since she wasn't part of the family. She felt like she was intruding.

"Hey."

"Hey."

There was an awkward silence. Tatsuki felt weird... like a wall formed between her and Ichigo. It was times like these when she wondered about her old friend from a long time ago. Whatever happened to the good times? Heck even the bad times were good... but now... it's like they never existed. Sure... in middle school she started to hang out with some girls... and got herself a best friend... but that's because it would have been weird to hang out with boys all the time! It wasn't like she never hung out with the boys at all! Damnit, Tatsuki didn't know what was worse... having a bad argument with a friend or... being forgotten by one. Where was...

Where was her nakama?

_A black Kimono... a large sword... turning his back to her..._

_'...frickin' asshole.'_

_'Jesus, get a hold of yourself, Tatsuki! Where is all of this bitterness coming from? There's no reason to be pissed off at him. He's only been lying to you for god knows how long. He's only been running off with that damn bit- okay...shut up... whatever. Don't think about stupid things. Just stop. Now. ...yes... now._'

"So are we going to put up the Christmas tree or something?" Karin asked, breaking the weird silence. Yuzu's eyes lit up and gazed at Ichigo with her puppy dog eyes. Ichigo eye twitched slightly, but he valiantly resisted.

"Look, I can't help you guys with that. I got something to do right now. So you guys go start. I'll be back later..." He mumbled before turning his back on the girls. Yuzu frowned disapprovingly while Karin's left eye twitched in irritation.

"Oi! It can wait till after you shovel the snow, dofus!" Karin exclaimed.

"Later!" Ichigo was already upstairs by this time. Karin let out a frusterated sigh and glared at an invisible Ichigo.

"Lazy, good for nothing..." Karin mumbled when he was out of earshot. Tatsuki was a bit shocked at the exchange and silently wondered how different this family had become in her year long absence. This family used to be so tightknit... but what happened? Back then, Karin would never insult her brother... or if she did, it was always affectionately... Karin got off the couch and stomped over to the other room. Tatsuki, being too nosy for her own good, followed while Yuzu was left with a sad face in an empty kitchen.

"What's the matter?" Tatsuki asked in a hush voice since she didn't want Yuzu to worry.

"It's not fair, why do I always have to shovel? Why can't he do it? That lazy bum. I wanna kick him sometimes!" Karin muttered darkly while shoving on her jacket and shoes.

"Kick him? What's going on? You guys never really got into serious fights before..." Those were the words that made Karin snap.

"Arrrgh! So what? He's such an ass! He's never home anymore, and Yuzu has to do extra chores because of that! And it pisses me off because she's not his frickin' mother! God, he's such a lying, ungrateful, stubborn," Karin's insults were muffled as she flipped her scarf around her face and shoved her baseball cap on. It was hard to decipher, but Tatsuki caught something along the lines of demon masks, and black kimonos.

"**And I hate him!**" was Karin's last words before she slammed the door shut behind her.

Hate him? Tatsuki's eyes grew dazed. There could be hate in this family? Those words set off something inside of Tatsuki, something hidden deep within her conscience. It was like... as if Karin's acknowledgment meant that it was okay for Tatsuki to acknowledge her own rage. And boy, did she feel a lot of it. She was angry at Ichigo for her own neglect, for being played a fool, for being under appreciated and undermined all for some newer friends. Memories of the summer festival came back to her as if it were happing again. And what made things so scary was that these feelings were real...

'_Don't walk too far ahead... You're forgetting me..._' her head seemed to say over again and each time brought a wave of fear. These feelings... these memories...

**They were real.**

Tatsuki couldn't pretend anymore. She was left behind... Her closest friends had gone on to something without her, and she was helpless. This feeling of helplessness...it bothered her because helplessness coincides with useless and weakness. The sheer enormity of these feelings unsettled her; she needed control. She needed something to keep her from falling into the door where she kept all her demons.

"Holy shit... shut up, don't think about it, don't think about it" She muttered while focusing on anything in the room. She was alone since Yuzu stayed in the kitchen... but the pictures on the walls seemed to be real people... staring... watching... mocking her with times gone by.

She was alone with her demons.

**Her betrayal.**

Betrayal stung like a bitch. It took something precious from the past and slapped it across your face before squishing it before your very eyes. It was forever since Tatsuki showed up that Christmas day, so long ago, with cookies for Ichigo (A/N: See my other fic). It was her personal pledge of friendship, and now... fuck it. Stupid Ichigo... if he thought that he could walk away from HER, then he was sadly mistaken! She was his friend, god damnit! She was practically family!

**Family... **

More feelings bubbled into Tatsuki's chest. Some of which she blatantly ignored since... they were just too scary... but god. That's how close Tatsuki felt to the Kurosaki family! And it pissed her off to be written off as an outsider by Ichigo. Damnit, she's been in their lives forever, so she deserves to be there forevermore... whether Ichigo liked it or not.

"Kuso..." This was too much for her at once... fuck, why couldn't it all stay in that corner of her brain? Tatsuki wasn't used to feeling weak – feeling fear. She had to... do something. Anything.

Her gaze fell upon a picture of Karin and Yuzu...

**Victims?**

Maybe...they were scared too? Maybe they were afraid that Ichigo was changing too much, too quickly. And maybe that's why the household felt so different. Maybe Yuzu's invitation was really for something else...

_"I have so much to do today... the Christmas tree, wrapping gifts... please help?" _

**_Please help..._**

Resolve slid back into Tatsuki's eyes... no more standing in front of windows to the past. What Tatsuki had was the present, and damnit, she wasn't going to screw it up! The Kurosaki household was always a lively one, so why should it be so dead on the most cheerful holiday of the year? Christmas for the Kurosaki family will be saved, and Tatsuki Arisawa will see to that! Tatsuki grinned at the baby picture of Karin and Yuzu. It was time to play big sister to some girls who seriously needed it. "Yosh!" she said under her breath. It's time to do break out the dough.

She opened the door leading to the outside and yelled, "Karin! Get back in here! Leave the shoveling to Ichigo! It's Christmas Eve, and we're going to have fun!"

Cookies, here we come!

* * *

A/N: And so you have it... umm... I gotta rush since i'm at school right now... so please R&R!

THANK YOU!


	3. A Trip Down Memory Lane

Author's note: Howdy all! Just a warning about this chapter... I pulled an all nighter... so expect some grammar mistakes… I'm kinda working against the clock cuz Christmas is basically….. tomorrow! And this is a Christmas fic, so… DEADLINES PEOPLE! If I don't get this finish this year TT; it may have to wait till next year... It seems so wrong to write a Christmas fic when it's not Christmas! Anyhoo, enjoy! BEWARE OF OOCed-ness!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in any fashion. This is purely a fan-made product for the sole intention of spreading the love XD

* * *

_Christmas Magic_

_Chapter 3_

_A Walk Down Memory Lane…_

Ichigo was supposed to be in his room. He was supposed to be "busy" which by all implications meant something normal (like sleeping). Obviously, he wasn't. He was, instead, far away on the other side of town slicing through something really big and ugly.

"Good work, Ichigo, almost time for a break." Rukia beamed. That was their 7th Hollow today.

"Fucking Hollows, am I finished yet?" Ichigo asked. "Weeellll..." Rukia whipped out her phone all smugly and said...

"..."

"..."

"...uh..."

"...The battery is dead...isn't it..."

She nodded.

Ichigo wanted to bang his head against something hard, and preferably sharp.

"Great...that's just peachy." he muttered tiredly.

"It's fine. We'll go to Urahara-san's to get another battery. Then we can start again... oh, Renji's going to be there too-"

"I'm sorry to cut you off, Rukia, but you DO know that tonight is Christmas Eve, right?" Ichigo said irritably.

"... of course, of course." She answered waving her hand to brush it off. But then… "…uh...eh... what is this Criss mass you speak of?" Rukia said with a blank face.

Ichigo slapped his face... how was he to explain the birth of Christ and the rest of Christianity to her? "It's a...uh...festival... honoring the birth of this God. And, uh, I need to get home to my family tonight or else they say bad luck will follow me into the new year." Ichigo explained crudely. '_Tch, yeah... bad luck in form of a weird bearded man and two little devils... aka my family_.'

Rukia face lit up with understanding. "Ooooh, I see. Why didn't you say that before? Let's go home for a little bit so that your family doesn't worry. And then go to Urahara's."

Ichigo mentally sighed. At least it was a start... Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit bad about the Christmas tree this year. It's usually a big family production but he supposed that he'll have to miss it for saving the world.

For some reason, while he was thinking about his family, Tatsuki was also included in his mental picture...

Family... home...

_Warmth..._

But the snow kept falling.

_Cold…_

* * *

"Okay, you have half an hour. Then we're leaving for Urahara's. We can't afford any more time than that since this is, after all, the busy hollow season of the year." Rukia said while closing her closet door.

"What!? That's not nearly enough time! This is Christmas! You're ripping me off of my holiday!" Ichigo hissed at the door. Sure, Rukia was a bit naive... it was one of her characteristics that made Ichigo want to watch over her...protect here...but this was ridiculous!

"29 minutes remaining!" Rukia called out...

Aw, fuck.

Ichigo left his room with a bang and went down stairs. He distinctly noticed something different as he hit the first step... A heavenly smell...with little bit of spice in the air... perhaps not the usual scent that greeted him home, but god, it smelt good! The smell filled him, and made him feel warm inside. He felt (god forbid) giddy almost. It had to be it!

COOKIES!!!

Ichigo resisted the urge to run into the kitchen. He took effort to casually walk into the kitchen and head towards the target...however there were some obstacles in the way. Three of them to be exact.

"Ichigo!" Yuzu chimed.

"…it seems like you're awake." Karin added with a smile... she was... well something was different about her. Ichigo wondered if it was a new hat or something... Then it hit him. Karin was acting...happy?

"Took you long enough." Tatsuki quipped.

"Are they finished?" Ichigo asked with pretend disinterest. He had an image to keep after all...

"Nope, but even if they were, you're not getting any." Tatsuki cheekily answered.

Karin snickered, "Yeah, no eating unless you help make them."

"What the hell? Isn't Christmas a time of sharing?" Ichigo growled irritably.

"Yeah but we're trying save enough dough to make the biggest gingerbread house ever!" Yuzu said. Karin and Tatsuki groaned.

"Yuzu! We're trying to make him sweat here! Don't ruin it so quickly next time." Karin sighed defeatedly. Tatsuki glanced back at Ichigo.

"So... you're going to help?"

Ichigo was torn... cookies or saving the world? Well... both were hard work... but one was definitely had sweeter results! Cookies did seem pretty tempting in the long run...

Wait.

Fuck. What the hell was he thinking? Him??? Ichigo??? Bake COOKIES? Good gods no! He had an image to uphold! He was the tough Shinigami; the man with the huge sword (if you know what I mean). He shouldn't...er...couldn't let something like cookies deter him from his righteous, MANLY, path.

"Here, mix the icing." Tatsuki said while shoving him a mixing bowl.

"Wha-hey?" He held the bowl like it contained a disease.

"We're going to need some red icing, so add 3 drops of food colouring to that." Tatsuki instructed before going back to planning the house floors.

Ichigo sighed and began his job. While posing as annoyed, Ichigo was secretly happy to do something normal for a change instead of his crazy new job. Ichigo wouldn't give being a Shinigami up for anything... but he was still a person too, and he really needed some off days. Perhaps Rukia was trying to train him? That would explain the ungodly amount of hollow hunting... Or maybe she wanted the other guys to have a break and shoved their load on Ichigo? That better not be true... or else 4th Division will be very busy this Christmas. In any case, he was glad that Tatsuki made his decision for him. Tatsuki... the bossy one... It was just like her to do something like that... he inwardly smirked. Ichigo, however, never minded her overbearing personality. He always thought that it was a good thing to listen to her since she always knew what to do...

...always knew what was good for him.

**Flashback**

"You cheap bastard! I thought this was supposed to be a fair match!" Tatsuki hissed at Ichigo.

"Oh? And how is picking Ryu any better?" Ichigo countered with a sarcastic scowl.

"Tch, but Azuma is a hundred times more cheap than Ryu!" Tatsuki muttered while beginning her button mashing session. They were in middle school now, and times had change from their earlier years. Ichigo changed a lot since his mother's death, but there was always a part of the old him that showed when Tatsuki was around... or maybe it was because Tatsuki knew him for so long that she could see through his new personality. "You crybaby... you're still afraid of losing to me."

"Shut up..." Was the only thing the tough guy muttered before he executed a special attack. The two of them didn't hang out as much as they did in elementary school. There was this invisible wall between boys and girls at middle school that didn't allow easy friendship for fear of being teased. It was hard, especially for Tatsuki, who was so used to playing with boys to fall into a girl type clique, but Orihime Inoue was in a category of her own. Tatsuki didn't mind being friends with a weird girl since Orihime was pretty cool to hang out with once you got use to her eccentricities. It was actually a good kind of friendship. Tatsuki was finally learning how to interact with other girls and generally, to her mother's delight, how to do "real girl" stuff. Orihime, on the other hand, had a friend to watch over and protect her. Ichigo himself made a few guy friends that (along with his hair) enforced his tough-guy act. In spite of all these changes that came with junior high, Tatsuki and Ichigo still shared a friendship. It was rare on days like today when Tatsuki wouldn't have clubs or Orihime to deal with, and Ichigo wouldn't have detention or "guy stuff" to do. It was on these days that they'd get together to hang out. If people did notice them together, they didn't really think about it... they were, after all, a force to be reckoned with.

"You freaking bastard! You killed me!!" Tatsuki cried out when the last of her HP ran out. She gave him an annoyed glare. "Again, and this time, no cheap players." Ichigo didn't argue...

They played until their wallets were empty, all the while playfully cursing at each other. In all honestly, they didn't know who started the bad habit first – Ichigo's tough guy act or Tatsuki's bossy attitude – one thing was for certain though: they both had the dirtiest mouths at school (thanks to their religious watching of WWE). Good god, their language was terrible during this time! Ichigo's cussing often ticked off other guys which got him into frequent fights. To him, the excessive swearing helped build up his image. Tatsuki, on the other hand, would only use her sailor-like abilities (as well as her awesome fighting abilities) to intimidate any bullies in her way; thus earning her a position on the Disciplinary Committee. Unlike Ichigo's image, Tatsuki soon became the teacher's favorite since she_ always _enforced the rules. Some people whispered bets on who could take out who: The underdog, Ichigo; or the crazy police girl, Tatsuki. These gossips were quickly stopped when news leaked out that Ichigo already defeated Tatsuki...once. Yet some still doubted and wondered.

"Aw, I'm hungry..." Tatsuki complained while eyeing a vending machine. Chips Mmmm tasty!

"We have no money to eat." Ichigo reminded her. She mirrored his scowl before resuming a mindless trek home. They walked in a comfortable silence. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow to the town. They walked along the road by the river until some scraggily looking thugs intercepted their paths.

"That's 'im boss! The guy with Orange hair! He's the guy that beat me up!" a wimpy sounding thug exclaimed. The leader of the pack came to the front with a baseball bat and an ugly sneer. Tatsuki mentally groaned at the situation presented to her.

"Aw hell, who did you piss off this time?" She grumbled to Ichigo.

"Some scumbags... they were beating up some kids for money. What was I supposed to do? Let them kill the poor kids?" Ichigo answered in that irritating, cocky voice of his. Tatsuki groaned in annoyance. "You and your Hero complex..."

"OI! We're still here ya know!" The leader thug yelled, clearly annoyed that these middle school punks weren't intimidated in the least. Ichigo gave him a side glance. "We haven't forgotten you... but it's not like I'm threatened by the likes of you." He gave a devilish smirk. "Then again... if you want to fight, I'm not stopping you..." His smirk turned into a mocking grin that ticked the gang leader off veeeeeery much. The gang of 20-some odd misfits prepared for battle. Tatsuki's eyes widen with disbelief.

"Ichigo, what the hell are you doing. You're picking a fight! Geez, didn't Sensei teach you anything? This is unethical! You'll hurt them! I won't le-" Ichigo shoved her to the side.

"No one's asking you to join in, Tatsuki." He said just as the first guy made his move.

One down.

This ticked off Tatsuki very much. She took out her anger on two other punks by grabbing one from the collar and slamming him into the next. This resulted in a human ball of thuggy-ness rolling down the hill and into the river. "What are you implying, Kurosaki Ichigo!?" She demanded in her pissed-off voice. And _nobody_ever tells the wrong answer with this voice.

Except for Ichigo...

Ichigo slammed his foot into one guy's chin and dodged a punch by ducking low in one graceful movement. "What I'm saying is that this isn't your fight, so stay out of it." His tough-guy persona was in full control, and it bothered Tatsuki a bit since she knew this wasn't really Ichigo at all. But still... He was starting to piss her off for real.

"So sit pretty on the sidelines while I finish my business..." He caught thug number five's fist mid-punch and broke the guy's nose with a punch of his own. "It's not like you're up to this kind of stuff anyways. You're more into all that girly stuff, now."

That last comment got Tatsuki's blood boiling. Was it because he thought she was useless? Because she was scared of a little blood? Was it because she was a fricking girl???? Tatsuki was so shocked with outrage that she didn't even notice a fist coming at her. It struck her in the cheek, dead on. The force of it sent her flying back one moment and eating dirt the next. Ichigo was shocked when he saw her go down. A pang of fear coursed through him. If she was seriously injured...it was his fault. Fighting seemed to have ceased in anticipation of Tatsuki's next move.

Tatsuki lay on the ground, motionless for a dramatic moment. All that could be heard was her attacker's heavy breathing. Then, Tatsuki's hand twitched. Once. Twice. She moved to bring herself on all four; her face still shadowed. Ichigo was uncertain about her next action. Was she okay? Was she mad?? Did the punch give her brain damage???? He swore he caught her _smiling_ as she rose up. It was a devil's smile. It gave him cold chills to think what her eyes might have looked like right then...

Oh. Shit.

"Girly stuff, Ichigo? Heh... I'LL FUCKING SHOW YOU GIRLY STUFF, YOU ASSHOLE!!! And I'll start with... you with the ugly face." Tatsuki said pointing to the guy that hit her. Her eyes were gleaming with bloodlust. That smile, never leaving her face. "You. Are. Going. To. **DIE!**" Faster than anyone could imagine, the guy was down with a broken arm and bleeding face. Relieved that she wasn't going to take out her anger on him, Ichigo's focus went back to the fight. Tatsuki's enthusiasm seemed to have fueled Ichigo's own bloodlust. They stood, back to back, grinning and ready for the remaining gang members to attack. The henchmen were hesitant – heck the leader himself looked like he wanted to shit his pants – but for pride's sake, the stood their ground.

"W-what are you fuckers doing? K-KILL THEM! KILL THEEEEEM!!" The leader shouted while swinging his baseball bat wildly (almost hitting his own man). And like all epic battles, there were battle cries and cries of pain. In this particular battle, there were even cries of "MOMMY!"

Tatsuki and Ichigo looked like demon spawned children with the (un)dead bodies littering the ground around them. If only Kenpachi had seen them then... he would have killed them both so that they could join the 11th Division faster! Smug as can be, Ichigo's foot fell on top of the leader's head in a mock crushing gesture. "So you learned your lesson yet, scumbag?" Ichigo leered. He applied some pressure to the poor guy's head.

"F-Fuck you! Ow!!! okay, okay, OKAY. I-I won't take money from brats nemore s-so let me go." The guy stuttered out from Ichigo's foot. Ichigo stared at him for a long time. Finally he said, "I'll be watching you." He leered forward. "And if you so much touch one of those kids again, I _will_ come after you again, and again, and again. Got it?" He gave the leader one last shove before letting him go. Without further delay, the leader and his gang fled from the scene with a lesson learned.

"Hah, I knew you still had it in you! It was fun, wasn't it?" Ichigo mused while brushing himself off. Tatsuki didn't say a word. She didn't even move from her spot since she downed her last guy. This bothered Ichigo a bit. "What now?" He asked with irritation dripping in his voice. Tatsuki just crossed her arms are gave him a sharp look.

"Don't give me this, 'what now' bullshit. Girly stuff? What the hell? That's stuff my MOM likes! You know I hate that stuff! God damnit, that was the worst kind of insult, Ichigo, and you know it."

"What the hell? It's true you know! You're always hanging out with those girly girls at school. You don't even play soccer or do anything anymore!" Ichigo exclaimed. He didn't know how to say what he really meant. He honestly didn't understand his feelings concerning Tatsuki. It felt like she was changing with all her new friends and he didn't like it one bit. It was like she was moving father away from the Tatsuki he knew.

"Just because of that, you think I'm turning into one of THEM? God, you're so stupid! You don't get it, do you? You don't understand how they think. If I'm not in there with them, then they'd talk about me! Like I'm-" Tatsuki trailed off. She couldn't find the right words... so she tried again. "I still like soccer! I still love karate! Damnit, I'm still the same!" Tatsuki exasperated.

"No you're not, you're... different now." '_You're a girl now..._' was what he wanted to say, but he just couldn't. He couldn't because it'll be admitting that Tatsuki was like the other girls at school, but he didn't want to believe that. If Tatsuki was one of them, then she would be one of those girls Kiego talked about and...ew, that's just too weird, too gross, too...well...NO! Ichigo suppressed a blush and got rid of that thought. '_Must not think like that. Ever. This is TATSUKI we're talking about_!'

"I'm different? Have YOU looked in the mirror lately? You're the one who's different! You're the one playing the bad boy all the time. Tch, compare yourself to a few years ago, and you'll see! I'm not the one who's changed, you are! I can't believe that you're picking fights now! You're better than that." Tatsuki cried. She knew that they were changing. Middle School was changing them... It was this social hierarchy that neither of them could escape. The inevitable.

"So what? I'm not picking the fights! They come to me. And know what? They all deserve it." Ichigo growled.

"Don't you remember Sensei's lessons? You never initiate attacks unless your life is threatened. YOU were initiating, dumbass. All for what? To satisfy your Hero Complex? God, what if one of those guys didn't deserve it, huh? Then where's all your self-righteousness? Where's all your justice?" Ichigo gave her a glare.

"Justice? This IS justice. Those guys were picking on kids not even half their age! Someone's gotta protect those kids." He turned to look down at the river... it was _that_river. "What do you know about protecting someone" He muttered bitterly. From the corner of his eye, he saw something by the river... a girl? Could it be? He turned his head, but the glare from the sun blinded his eyes. "Fuck." he muttered before running down to chase his ghosts.

Tatsuki just stared at him. Her expression was still in that sharp, reprimanding gaze. Yet it dawned on her as Ichigo ran to the river. This place... it all made sense. Her eyes soften, and she swore that she saw not a teenage Ichigo running to the river, but a small young boy. She rubbed her face, unsure of herself. Maybe... she shouldn't accept these changes so easily... maybe deep down they were still the children from yesterday. In that moment, Tatsuki felt like the little girl who watched Ichigo searching for his mom along the river banks.

"Ichigo..."

She followed him down the bank to where he stood... still searching after all these years. The sun was setting, signaling the end of a day. Tatsuki stood beside him, observing his mood. His eyes were far away and his frown seemed more sad than angry. "Ichigo..." She started. She was unsure of herself since she still felt mad, but she also felt compelled to comfort him.

"You know... just because things are different now doesn't mean that everything is different. Important things stay the same. Like this place stays the same... your mom's memory stays the same..." Tatsuki watched Ichigo's reaction. It was like a wall. She wasn't even sure if her words were getting to him. Her eyes narrowed in determination and raised her voice a little. "Our friendship stays the same. Nothing changes it. We're Nakama's till the end! Got it?" She grabbed his wrist, the first meaningful body contact she's ever given him. It jolted Ichigo from whatever dark place he fell into and brought him back to the present. He saw Tatsuki's determined eyes that were commanding, hard, yet filled with a fiery passion that only Tatsuki had. It was those kinds of eyes that reassured him and made him believe. "That's enough, Ichigo." She commanded, though he didn't mind. "Let's go home." He never minded.

"Okay..." He said, and Tatsuki led him from the banks back onto the road. Her hand never let go of his wrist as they walked away... and he never complained about it.

Because if Tatsuki was the one in the lead... then everything was okay.

**End of flashback**

"Geez! Ichigo, are you finished yet?" Tatsuki asked with irritation. Ichigo snapped out of his daydream and shoved the mixing bowl back to Tatsuki. "Here's your stinking icing." He grumbled. That memory was a long time ago. Ichigo's eyes wandered to his Shinigami badge... things had change tremendously. He looked back at Tatsuki who showing Karin how an icing bag worked.

And the important things...

"Ichigo, don't just sit there." Tatsuki warned, but her eyes were playful.

"Do this, do that... that's all you ever tell me." Ichigo muttered under his breath.

"Tch, well you never complained before." Tatsuki cheekily said.

Those important things stayed the same...

"Whatever…"

"Aw, don't be so grumpy, ni-san!" Yuzu said cheerfully.

"Don't bother, Yuzu. He's always like that." Karin said, rolling her eyes.

"What? I'm not always grumpy!" Ichigo said in mock irritation. For kicks, he even barred some teeth for the two. With their brother's good graces, the girls grinned back at their older brother. Tatsuki smiled at the positive exchange while tapping a pen on her notepad. She was trying to figure out the cuts for the gingerbread house. Yuzu wanted to have two stories, which was no easy feat for a novice.

"If we cut the wall like this, it'll hold the second floor better." Yuzu explained.

"Yeah, but then we'll have to get rid of the window to make this wall stronger to support it." Karin exasperated. Did they really need two floors for this house?

"That's okay, we'll move the window to this wall instead, and the inside figures will still be seen. We don't need that many windows." Tatsuki said. Then a brilliant idea came to Yuzu's mind.

"Let's put some of the gingerbread people outside! Oh, let's make a winter carnival!"

"A winter carnival?" Tatsuki repeated to make sure she was hearing things right.

"It's just a cookie! We're going to eat it anyways!" Karin exclaimed. She really didn't see the novelty of it all.

"I guess we could try... I'm not saying that it'll be great and stuff... but we'll see. We'll definitely need a lot more dough, though." Tatsuki mumbled more to herself than to the others. She stole a quick glance to Ichigo to see how he'd react to this. To her surprise, he seemed mildly interested.

"Yay! Let's make a merry-go-round for everyone to ride on and, and -"

"Yuzu, calm down. They're just cookies, remember, cooooookies." Karin said.

"Oops...I mean...um...sorry..." Yuzu had a downcast expression, but she obediently did just as her sister asked and calmed down.

"You know... it's not that hard to make a merry-go-round." Ichigo said after awhile. Tatsuki wondered if he was just saying that to cheer up Yuzu.

"Yeah? I was thinking about a round shape like this..." she said while sketching out her idea. Sure, she had an idea as soon as Yuzu mentioned merry-go-round, but she wasn't certain if it would work out.

"Yeah me too." Ichigo said, "but you have to make this part thicker,at least half an inch thick, and this part has to be hollow so that we could add... a round type of candy like... those coke balls I guess. This way, base can rotate." Ichigo stole Tatsuki's pen and drew in his idea.

"Mmm, I don't know if coke balls are the right candy for this... jawbreakers might be better since they're bigger." Tatsuki thought out loud.

"Yeah... sure. Oh, and add some holes here so that we can connect the structures together-"

"Using candy canes!" Tatsuki finished. She gave a triumphant grin. The dream team was back again!

"Exactly." Ichigo said, equally happy since this idea was making sense.

The two sisters shared a knowing look as Tatsuki and Ichigo made jotted down more ideas. The room was warm and bustling with happy voices and burning cookies. It was a happy moment that truly felt like Christmas. Tatsuki's conversations with Ichigo were getting easier and more familiar. For a moment, Tatsuki thought all her angry thoughts about Ichigo were crazy! Karin, despite her complaints, eventually got into the mood of things and was enjoying herself. Yuzu was just happy that everyone was together for once and having fun. Even Ichigo was enjoying himself. Things were starting to look a lot like Christmas in the Kurosaki household.

Thanks to Tatsuki's Magic Cookies, of course!

* * *

Author's Ending remarks: Thank You for reading! It's been awhile since i wrote a bleach fic... lol actually I must admit, I haven't been keeping up with the series... so please bare with me for any of the OOCness that I KNOW is in here. I tried to keep true to bleach humor in my writing style... but it's a bit hard. Oh well... Happy Holidays everyone! Please Review! 


	4. A Feeling Similar to Loneliness

**A/N:** yep… another year has gone by and another Christmas is here! That means... I must add another chapter to this fic! I actually wrote this chapter last year, but I wasn't too happy with the way it turned out... so after a really nasty bout of writer's block and fiddling with details, I finally got this chapter sounding semi okay... but by that time, it was summer. Haha! It didn't feel right to update a Christmas fic during summer! So yeeah, here it is... I again apologize for the OOC-ness...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach in any way. This work is meant only as a tribute to the greatness of bleach.

**Warning:** Lots of swearing!

Christmas Magic

Chapter 4

A Feeling Similar To Loneliness

By Flower_on_thewind

* * *

"There isn't enough icing on that side, you idiot, the second floor is going to fall." Ichigo said to Tatsuki.

"Be quiet! I know what I'm doing. Quick, Karin, give me more icing!" Tatsuki said with her eyes determined. They've come so far, damnit! She wasn't going to break it now! It was a very tense moment. A miscalculation could mean that the last two hours were a waste of effort.

Wait a second…

Two hours!?!?!?!??

"Shit!"

Yuzu jumped in surprise, Karin's eyes quickly targeted the person who said the s-word, Tatsuki nearly broke the second floor, and Ichigo's eyes were glued onto the clock, as if he were demanding it to turn back.

"What's wrong?" Yuzu asked worriedly.

"Damnit, I gotta go. I need to meet someone. I'll be back late, so don't wait for me." Ichigo said nonchalantly before running upstairs, earning one glare of disgust from Karin, and one conflicted look from Yuzu. Once again, Tatsuki felt like an outsider in the house.

"Hey, hold on a sec! It's Christmas Eve! Can't this wait?" Tatsuki asked in a reprimanding tone.

"It can't. It's really important." He called from the top step.

'_Even more than your family?'_ Tatsuki wanted to ask, but she refrained herself from doing so. No sense picking a fight when he already ran away... She sighed

"But what about the gingerbread house?! Ichigo~ That's not fair! That's..." It was no use, Ichigo couldn't hear her. Yuzu body went tense. Her face was still yet her eyes....

"Yuzu..."

"I don't understand... Why does ni-san always do this to us? He's always going somewhere and-and..." tears spilt over onto Yuzu's cheeks while she tried to get her voice back. "It's Christmas..." she blurted out.

It broke Tatsuki's heart to see the little girl upset. Tatsuki knew that Yuzu loved her brother endlessly, and to see her so crushed was unsettling. Tatsuki's motherly instincts automatically kick in. "Shhh, it's okay; he'll probably be back in an hour. It's not like he has to be here every minute of the day."

"But he's always gone for really long hours, and he doesn't tell us where he's off to. And it- it's just ...that I'm so worried about him... and… it's just- there's so much to do for Christmas, and I'm trying my very best to make it work, but I-I don't get it..." She raised a hand to cover her face in shame. "Why doesn't it feel like Christmas this year?" She asks in a small voice, "I'm s-sorry. I'm _so_ sorry. I'm being silly for crying like a baby, but I... but I can't stop...can't stop crying...OooOooh" Yuzu sobbed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's my fault. I'm sorry…" She chanted.

Karin was freaking out. Her sister was crying – _seriously_ crying. The only thing that registered to Karin was that her brother had something to do with it. To Kurosaki Karin, _nobody_ makes her sister cry and gets away with it; brother or no brother. She had her own issues with Ichigo too. It was Christmas, and screw Ichigo if he didn't care about the family anymore. As Karin saw it, if he didn't care about them, then she didn't have to care about him!

Jerk.

Karin ran upstairs to give him a piece of her mind. While Tatsuki...well, Tatsuki was lost. She had one crying kid and one angry kid running away. 'Oh shit, what do I do?' Tatsuki panicked. Which one should she go to first? She glanced at Yuzu who just buried her face into her hands. Tatsuki only knew one thing: she had to try.

"Yuzu...you know how Ichigo is-"

"Go away! I want to be alone." Yuzu said tearfully.

This wasn't working…

"Look…" Tatsuki tried again. "He's a jerk in theory, but you know that he'd never treat you guys badly…"

Yuzu wiped her eyes and said thickly, "I know…but... it's like we're second to something else. I feel... I feel..."

**'_A Feeling Similar to that of Loneliness...'_**

**_A feeling like…_**

"...like being abandoned." Tatsuki said more to herself than to Yuzu.

"...Maybe...well… that's not quite the right word..." Yuzu mumbled. "But… whatever it is, I don't like it."

A cold feeling washed over Tatsuki at the same time as loud noises sounded from upstairs. The tense mood was ruined, but it did not alleviate Tatsuki's heavy heart.

"...Tatsuki... Can you go upstairs to stop Karin? I'd go, but... I don't want Ichigo to see me like this." Yuzu admitted softly.

"Sure thing," Tatsuki left Yuzu's side to run upstairs towards the banging and yelling.

She had a gut feeling that she'll be playing referee in an ugly wrestling match...

* * *

The moment when Ichigo ran into his room and shut the door, his closet slid opened with a force to be feared. Two burning blue eyes gave him the scariest death glare he'd ever seen.

"You're late." Rukia stated in a cold, deadpan voice.

"I know, I know. It's not my f-"

"Four." Rukia cut in suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I felt Renji's reiatsu flare into combat exactly four times." The room suddenly felt chilly. Ichigo faintly wondered if she was going to ram him through with her _Sode no Shirayuki_.

"Ah... sorry," he said weakly. Then he paused to consider everything... "I'm apologizing because of what!?!?! So what if that baboon was fighting Hollows? It's his frickin job!"

"That's not the point!" Rukia cried, exasperated.

"It is!" Ichigo exclaimed before realizing the volume of his voice. "Why the hell are you making me work overtime lately," he gritted out in a barely quiet hiss. Rukia's resolve faltered.

"We're short on our reserves..." Rukia tried weakly.

"Liar. If that's true, then explain why Renji's been picking his nose at Urahara's. And why am I the one who has to run across the whole frickin town when he's obviously closer to the hollow? This is extortion! This is- "

"None of your business," Rukia shot back.

"The fuck it isn't! I'm missing Christmas for this shit. I deserve to know why."

Rukia took a second to consider Ichigo's words. "Renji is..." she hesitantly started. Ichigo scoffed at her hesitation. She was so being so obvious.

"Look, I know-"

**BAM BAM BAM  
**

'Oh shit' was written all over Ichigo and Rukia's faces.

"Ichigo, you jerk! Open up!" Karin cried. "You're one big asshole, you know that? Wait till I tell Dad what you did! He'll kick your ass for sure!"

"Fuck" Ichigo swore under his breath while slamming the closet door shut, and nearly clipping Rukia's nose in the process.

His day was getting better and better...

* * *

Karin ran upstairs and stopped in front of Ichigo's door. She what little rationality that was left in her mind kept her from barging right in. She could hear Ichigo talking in his room. He was probably on his cell phone talking to this special "someone" about that special "something" which Ichigo tries to hide. She exhaled sharply at this thought. The fact that he was lying made her so mad. Karin wasn't stupid. She knew about the Hollows and his Shinigami powers and yet... he kept them from the truth.

Of course... even though this was the true reason to Karin's anger, her own mental blocks wouldn't allow her to come to this conclusion. It was too petty of a reason to be mad at Ichigo. She knew he was busting his ass trying to save the world. She _should_ be supportive. Should. So instead letting herself get mad at the real reason, she let all of her feelings out under a different pretense

_Yuzu..._

How dare he make her cry! Hero or not, Karin could not forgive this so easily. And he was their big brother too! With a sudden burst of resolve, Karin pounded Ichigo's door.

**BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM!!!!**

"Ichigo, you jerk! Open up!" Karin cried. "You're one big asshole, you know that? Wait till I tell Dad what you did! He'll kick your ass for sure!" There was some shuffling on the other side of the doorway when suddenly...

"What?" His voice dripped with irritation as he opened his door, and there stood his sister glaring at him with all the hate she could muster. Hate that made his stomach cold, yet he couldn't do anything about it.

It was at that same moment in which Tatsuki arrived upstairs. She saw the door open, and heard the dripping annoyance in Ichigo's voice. Something about that voice pissed her off. Her own anger was seeping out of her like a black mist. Tatsuki furrowed her eyebrows, but refrained from doing anything else. Now was not an appropriate time for her to lose her cool.

"You made Yuzu cry." Karin's voice mirrored Ichigo's, but dripped with disdain instead. "You better go apologize right now! You fricking dumbass, or I'll tell Dad about your secret." It was a silly threat made in the heat of the moment, but it worried Ichigo. Karin couldn't know...well... actually she probably could... Wait. Yuzu is crying? Since when? What happened? Why was it his fault?

There was a loud bang from his closet. It was easily mistaken for some box falling down, but Ichigo knew the truth. He had to hurry. Even though he was arguing with Rukia earlier, the fact that four Hollows came into the real world without him noticing made him feel guilty. Not to mention the fact that Renji would be in his face about it later... He had to make sure that the town was going to be okay for the rest of the night. The sooner he dealt with his Shinigami problems, the sooner he can deal with his family problems.

"Look, I can't deal with this right now! Tell Yuzu I'm sorry for whatever I did, but I can't deal with you brats right now. I've got some important things to do!" He gripped the door knob and proceeded in slamming the door.

"You fucking bastard! She really is crying!" Karin grabbed the door before Ichigo could close it and lunged at him. It was a good thing that Tatsuki was quick on her feet and kept Karin from throwing her first attack.

"Karin!" Tatsuki said harshly although her own anger was hardly directed to Karin. "Get a hold of yourself! You don't attack your own family like that. Now go downstairs and keep your sister company." Tatsuki's sharp tone and commanding presence demanded obedience. Karin grudgingly stomped back downstairs feeling angry, hurt, and betrayed. "I HATE YOU!" She yelled before going down the stairs. A painful emotion flicked through Ichigo's cold face before returning into a scowl.

Once Karin was safely downstairs, Tatsuki turned to Ichigo with barely concealed contempt. Ichigo just stared back with a defensive I-didn't-do-anything-wrong look. "Wow, you handled that well." She said sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up. I don't have time for this," was his irritated reply, "She was over reacting, and you know it. I didn't do anything wrong earlier, and I get this shit to deal with," he sneered and rubbed his face to relieve his stress. Karin didn't _really_ mean it... at least... that was what he tried to convince himself.

Tatsuki looked at him like he grew another arm_. 'I don't have the time for this... didn't do anything wrong...'_ These sentences struck Tatsuki like a physical blow. It was... It was... _disrespect_. And Tatsuki had enough of it. She snapped.

"You jerk!"

She surprised Ichigo with a swift right hook, earning her a pleasant groan of pain. Her eyes were unforgiving as Ichigo stared back with dead eyes.

"You make me sick, you know that?" She gritted between clenched teeth. "Jesus, your sister was upset and all you gave was that shitty attitude? What the hell is that? I'm doing my fucking best, trying to fill in YOUR shoes while you do jackshit! What the fuck is that? You're despicable. You were raised better than that. For crying out loud- what's with this shitty attitude, huh? Even your family is sick of this bullshit!"

She picked up his collar and slammed him against the wall. Their faces were inches apart, and their eyes never backing down from this battle of wills. "Do you think it's easy for us to see you disappear all the time? What are you doing? Playing hero again? Jesus, can't you see it's affecting your family? Or are you too much of a bastard to see it?" She spat out.

Ichigo just stared back at her. Slowly some fire was coming back into his eyes. "Are you done spewing your spit into my face? For your information, I'm doing my fucking best, okay? I can't always be there for them. I have other responsibilities too, you know. And what the hell do you know about my life? What do you know about the things I have to do? Don't you come in to this house thinking you know everything about me! Cuz you don't! You don't know anything! You know jackshit about me or what I do or what I've been through, so just stay out of it. Just mind your god damn fucking busine-"

Tatsuki shoved her fist into his gut. Ichigo, recovering from having the air punched out of him, used his dead weight to push Tatsuki away. Tatsuki, being no stranger to physical contact, rolled Ichigo over so that he was pinned to the ground instead of her. Tatsuki wasn't hearing anything anymore. All she saw was red. All she heard was his voice saying, _'You don't know anything'_. She was lost in a world of anger, hurt, and Ichigo's voice repeating the most sacrilegious words that she could have ever heard. It tormented her until she finally broke.

"You arrogant jerk! Then what does 11 years of friendship mean to you? HUH?" Tatsuki emphasized her point by giving Ichigo a rough shove into the wooden floor. "I'm fricking the oldest friend you have! You can't say that it means nothing!" She gripped his collar to pull him closer.

"**I** was there when you'd cry at the dojo. **I** was there when your mom died. **I** was there through elementary and middle school! It was me, god damnit! You can't say... You can't- fuck, I even kicked you in the nuts and we were still friends after that. And what do you say now? THAT I FUCKING DON'T KNOW YOU AT ALL?" She released his collar and raised a hand to run through her hair in frustration. These feelings... it was as if she was too full inside and it was all going to burst out. These feelings that resemble loneliness and abandonment... of her always wondering...

"What am I to you?" Her voice was small and unsure, but was spoken with such power that it rendered Ichigo speechless.

There was an awkward pause now. Tatsuki shifted off of Ichigo and sat with her back facing him. Ichigo was contemplating. He knew that he needed to say something – anything. But he couldn't. Words died at his throat.

"...you're..." _'My best friend...'_ was what he wanted to say, but he couldn't say that. Tatsuki chose her best friend back in middle school: Orihime. It was a decision that bothered him even though he'd never acknowledge it.

"You're being stupid. I didn't mean it like... I... I didn't mean it. You know me..." He trailed off wondering if she really did. Did they change so much that? Ichigo hoped not... Tatsuki was-

"Forget it." She sighed in defeat. She turned to face him; her composure was solid like a rock. Her voice took on a more business-like tone. "None of that matters right now. But...just... look, your sisters are missing you, and the least you can do is be there for them on Christmas." She gave a bitter laugh and looked away from Ichigo. It hurt too much too look at him. "God, did you know that Karin's losing faith in you? And Yuzu... she's been worried sick because of you! And you... you're just... You're in your own little world and none of us can touch you." Tatsuki ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "Look, I'll tell you this straight. If you don't fix this soon, not only will your sisters give up on you, but I'm going to kick your ass until you can't sit right, understand? You can run away from me, but not them. They're your sisters."

She stood up to walk away, but thought better of it.

'You know me…' heh... yeah, she knew him all right. He was a baka.

One that she couldn't stay mad at.

This time, she tilted her head to face Ichigo again... but her eyes still refused to look at him.

"I'll... sigh... I'll take care of things here until you finish whatever business you need to take care of... but... you know....it's Christmas. You should be home with your family..." unable to take this awkward conversation any longer, Tatsuki turned to leave the room, never once looking at Ichigo.

"...You know... Karin said that she hated you. If you aren't a scumbag, then you would talk to her about that. The Ichigo I know would at least do that for his sister."

* * *

As Tatsuki closed the door behind her, the closet door opened. Ichigo sat unmoving from the floor, and barely acknowledge the small girl beside him.

"Ichigo?" Rukia knelt down to see the damage. His cheek was already a purple colour and swelling just slightly.

"...what is it now?" He asked tiredly.

"Ichigo... I'm sorry about everything... but... would it be better if we left now?"

Ichigo slowly got up from the floor. His hand tentatively checking the damage on his cheek. He almost smiled from the pain... '_That Tatsuki..._'

"No. Go get Renji to help you out tonight. That baboon has done nothing at all lately."

"We can't! Renji is training his bankai right now, Azien's attack is coming, that's why you and I need to-"

"I don't care! It's not important!"

"And this is?" Rukia countered.

Ichigo gave his cheek another rub.

".... yes it is."

Rukia stood motionless as his words sunk in. She knew deep down that she was being unreasonable... but still... "Fine." She turned towards the window. "It's your choice."

Ichigo gave a mirthless chuckle, "You know, you should just tell Renji how you feel about him instead of using me as an excuse to hide." Rukia spun around with eyes wide open. How did he-

Ichigo's eyes met hers with a knowing look.

"S-shut up! God, just enjoy your dumb festival!" And with that she jumped out of the window – cheeks flaming.

Ichigo plopped onto his bed, contemplating how he should apologize to everyone. In all honesty, he was more likely gathering his courage to do so. Apologizing was a sappy thing -- something he wasn't good at. Before long, Ichigo had accidentally fallen asleep on his bed. You can't blame the guy, though. You try killing seven hollows, baking cookies, and get beaten up by girls. It's quite tiring.

* * *

**A/N:** I started this fic hoping to capture those warm and fuzzy feelings that come with Christmas time… but at the same time, I realize that Christmas is also a stressful time, and these feelings aren't always there every Christmas. Trying to define these feelings and what Christmas essentially "_is,_" and trying to show the difficulties of changing relationships… These themes started popping up as I was writing this chapter and I realize that the magic of Christmas is very difficult to write about! Furthermore, my writing skills are not the best in the world, so… it is difficult to express the feelings sometimes…

All in all, I hope these chapters made you_ feel_ something – anything at all. I'll try to squeeze in another chapter before Christmas, if not… see you next year!

_Flower_on_thewind_


	5. The Magic of Christmas

**A/N:** So… I did manage to proof read this chapter in time. This chapter was originally part of the previous chapter, but I felt it was too long, so I cut it in half. I don't really have much to say except... thank you for waiting now go ahead and read! Ha Ha! I'll provide some of my own musings at the end...

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach in any way, this fanfiction is meant only as a tribute to such an awesome series. No money would be made from this person's amateur writing, I assure you.

**Warnings:** some swearing, OOC-ness, and mush. Lots and lots of mush. You have been warned!

Christmas Magic

Chapter 5

The Magic of Christmas

By Flower_on_thewind

* * *

"WOW, it looks amazing!" Yuzu said cheerfully to everyone in the kitchen. Karin shrugged, not really caring about anything at the moment while Tatsuki gave a small, forced smile. The gingerbread house wasn't finished, but it was finally put together and standing strong. The only thing missing were the decorations, but that could be saved for later. It was a whooping 6:30pm, no dinner was made, and no shoveling was done. It was also at this time when Kurosaki Isshin decided to make his debut.

"HONEYS I'M HOOOOOooooOoooOOMMMME!!!" Isshin announced.

"Oh god, he's home...." Karin muttered half heartedly.

"Now why are all my pretty daughters looking so glum? It's Christmas Eve, be cheerful!"

"But we are cheerful! See my cheerful face?" Yuzu said happily while giving the cutest, heartwarming smile ever known to mankind. After the incident, the tone in the house was gloomy and tense, but Tatsuki tried her hardest to keep the two distracted by smiling more and acting like a real sister to them. Giving in to the gloomy feeling would ultimately destroy any chances in reviving the Christmas spirit, and Yuzu seemed to have caught on... but Karin... she was more difficult to cheer up.

"And what about my other daughter, ne? What's the matter with this loooooooong face." Isshin cooed while he began to pinch and pull Karin's face.

"Ugh, stop it!" Karin said while shoving her dad away from her. "My face always looks like this. Geez...."

"Um... Good evening, Mr. Kurosaki," Tatsuki greeted politely.

"Ah, Tatsuki! You haven't been over in a long time! And you live just next door! How could that have happened?"

"Um... I've been very busy, sir." Tatsuki answered.

"I'm sure you have... okay, all you girls go outside and start shoveling! The snow is so high; I had to dig my way to the door!" Yuzu grew concerned from this statement.

"But Dad, I have to cook dinner! Dinner is half an hour away! Oh gosh, I haven't started on anything!" Yuzu protested. Her eyes had a worried glaze about them.

"Ah, don't worry, Father is going to make a GREAT Christmas meal! And today will be the ONE exception for Kurosaki dinner time. Ho HO! Everyone will be full tonight! Tatsuki, you'll be staying over for dinner as well. I shall call your mom to let her know." He winked. Tatsuki shivered. _'...creepy_'

"But-"

"No buts! And I see the Christmas tree is _still_ not up? I suppose we'll decorate it together!" Hearts and stars practically emitted from Isshin's happy demeanor. It freaked the daylights out of the girls. Sometimes –no, more like all the time– Mr. Kurosaki was just... too... weird...

"Now go!" And Isshin all but threw the girls out of the house (with the shovels of course!).

* * *

"Well....uh... let's get to work." Tatsuki said while picking up her weapon.

It was a few minutes before the walkway was being worked on. Karin and Yuzu was going at their walkway since the snow was at least 1 ½ feet deep. Tatsuki moved farther off to do the sidewalk. It was hard work for the younger girls, but for Tatsuki it felt like good training. Despite her distractions, Tatsuki's mind kept going back to her encounter with Ichigo; more specifically, the awkward latter half of it... and, damn it, it hurt Tatsuki in more ways than one!

_'Aarrgggghhhh!!!! Oh. My. __**Fucking**__. God! I sounded like an idiot up there! Ichigo must think I've watching too many girly dramas now- uh, I mean- not that I actually watch them... but still... fuck man... I can't believe I was so emotional in front of him! Oh god, someone kill me. He saw me cry! Damnit, he's the crybaby, not me! And I...did I really talk about the time I kicked his...gah! Ohmigod, I really need to die!' _

Shoveling helped Tatsuki release her embarrassment. Here, she could say that her face was red from the cold, and **not** from stupid memories of... of... gah, what happened. And she could always imagine it was Ichigo's head she was shoveling with. She almost smiled every time her shovel scraped across hard cement. _Take that Ichigo!_ Tatsuki knew that could always rely on physical activities to make her feel better. There was something about the simplicity of working her muscles that she appreciated as opposed to those people who like to brood. Maybe it was because of her personality that work calmed her down; it gave her purpose. While Tatsuki worked hard on killing her shovel, the two younger girls worked grudgingly on their area. Solemn silence filled the air, until Karin spoke at last.

"Hey, Yuzu..." Karin uttered in soft, uncertain voice. She wasn't sure how to say what was on her mind, but she needed to try. In all honesty, Christmas was bothering her this year. She didn't understand why Christmas was such a big deal to their family. Was it because of their mother? Was it because of their dad? Why did the family mean so much more during this time as opposed to any other time? Karin's friends didn't celebrate Christmas like they did. Their families didn't really care about the holiday. So why should she? Why should... why should Ichigo's aloofness bug her?

"Yes?" Yuzu stopped shoveling. Karin tried to put all of her thoughts into a question, but she couldn't.

"Oh... nevemind. I forgot what I was going to say." Karin said lamely. Yuzu frowned

"Are you sure, Karin?"

"..." Karin sighed. "Are you okay? I mean, earlier..."

"Ah, don't worry about me! I cry too easily. I guess... I was hoping Christmas would be special this year, but I guess... I just don't feel it. And I guess... I blamed it all on Ichigo, and that's why I cried so much." Yuzu admitted. She looked to the sky to see the snow still falling. "It's even snowing and everything... but it still feels like a regular day."

Karin nodded. "Yeah... I don't get it... why does our family care about Christmas anyways? Lots of other people don't celebrate it, and we all just get stupid over nothing." Karin winced as she remembered her conversation with Ichigo. "Freaking moron..." she muttered under her breath.

"Are you okay?" Yuzu asked. She knew that Karin was upset at Ichigo. She didn't hear the argument earlier, but she didn't need to. Something really bad happened up there, and it pained her to see her siblings angry with each other. Karin didn't reply right away. She used the shovel to draw patterns in the snow.

"...Earlier... I kinda... told Ichigo that I hated him." Karin admitted, earning a small wince from Yuzu. "Yeah, I don't know... I guess... this whole Christmas thing was one big fat lie... sigh... I don't know what I was expecting from Christmas this year, but it feels like a big let down. So, like... why should I bother to care if I wasn't expecting much of anything? Christmas is stupid."

"You don't mean that, Karin! You're just saying that to sound tough. I know you're as excited about Christmas as I was. There's something.... something about Christmas that's like magic! It's like magic that happens only once every year! There's... something... something that I can't really explain, but it's something that makes us feel warm and cozy with everyone in the house. It's like- like everyone's way of saying 'I LOVE YOU' without using words to say it. And, and... gosh, I know this sounds silly, but the lights just seem much warmer and the food seems more tastier during Christmas. Everything just... Everything seems like... more! I guess... this year we've been so busy expecting it to be more, that we forgot how to make it like that. I'm not sure if that makes sense but... It makes sense to me."

Karin thought for a bit while watching the snowflakes fall down. She knew that they were just frozen raindrops falling down because of gravity... but as Yuzu was talking, the concept of snow seemed more amazing and magical than its scientific explanation. Karin tried to forget every logical explanation she learned from school and _really_ looked at the snow. Then it came to her. For one moment, all she knew was the fresh, crispy smell of winter in the air, and the snow fluttering down from the dark heavens. The snow seemed like magical fairy dust falling from a mysterious source hidden somewhere up in the black abyss. A few snowflakes touched her nose and tickled her skin as they melted. Each snowflake felt like a kiss from a snow fairy. In this moment, snow was white magic, and Karin didn't need to prove that it was. She saw snow and it was amazing just to see it. It was magic.

And it was at this moment that Karin understood the difference between seeing and believing.

"I think I get it." Karin finally said. "_We_ make Christmas special."

"Exactly!" Yuzu grinned. Karin smiled, still watching the snow. She looked across the road and saw the Christmas lights glow softly. The lights... were pretty and sparkled against the evening frost. The two sisters stood together, reveling in the snow; enjoying for the first time the Christmas spirit that they were looking for.

"Amazing..."

"Yeah...."

"But...does that mean we kinda... blamed Ichigo for nothing?" Karin wondered

"...Maybe... I guess we did blame him for the lack of Christmas spirit..." Yuzu admitted.

"We kind of suck, then... don't we." Karin mumbled.

"...I guess we should apologize..." Both girls shared a grim look.

Tatsuki watched the entire conversation from afar. It brought a soft smile to her heart and ignited a sudden overwhelming giddiness that made her tingle. Ah, there it was… even if it was just for a second, Tatsuki was happy to feel the Christmas magic. Maybe Christmas for the Kurosaki family will be alright after all. If that happens, then perhaps she could focus on her own problems...

"Hey you guys!" She called out. "I'm just going to get the salt, so don't get into any trouble!"

"Okay."

"Sure."

Reassured that her charges were going to be fine, Tatsuki went to the shed. There, she found an appalling mess that greeted her. '_Great gods! What the hell smashed into here?_' she wondered. Tatsuki gave a tentative poke to some kind of bucket. What resulted was a huge crash and more "stuff" falling out of place. "Good grief." Tatsuki grumbled. She looked back to find that the two girls were still in her sights. '_Well, at least if anything happens, I'll know..._' she thought grimly before digging through the mess.

Back in the front, Karin and Yuzu finally finished shoveling their area when a certain someone with orange hair literally flew out of the doorway and landed on the snow with a big '_poof_.' He turned around to the door and gave the typical, "What-the-hell-is-your-problem???" speech.

"No son of mine gets to laze around while his LITTLE SISTERS slave away, doing a **man's job**! Come back when you act like my son," and with that Isshin slammed the front door, leaving his three children very dazed. Even Tatsuki (who heard everything) was shocked. Did Kurosaki Isshin, the self proclaimed number one father of the year, kick his eldest son out of the house? Holy Shit.....

By instinct Tatsuki darted to the trouble, only to find herself pressing herself against the side of the house – a position that kept her relatively hidden from any Kurosaki in the vicinity. It wasn't that she was scared... well, maybe a little. It's just... she couldn't face Ichigo yet! Even the slightest thought of him made her pitiful from embarrassment. And it was complicated. The fact that she was _hiding_ for Ichigo made her angry too. _'It's just for a second... I'll stay here for just a second...'_

And that was how Tatsuki became a nosey spy for awhile.

"Uh..." Yuzu said intelligently.

"Ichigo? You...okay?" Karin asked uncertainly. Ichigo picked himself off the ground and turned to face his sisters. He looked...well....he looked really bad. Both siblings knew from one glance that he really was beating himself up over their family feuds....he even had a bruise on his cheek to prove it!

"Oh no! Dad really did beat you up this time!" Yuzu cried while gathering some snow to keep down the swelling. Ichigo snorted.

"Tch, you think _his_ punch could do something like this!?!? It was that demon Tat- ah... haha... actually, just -sigh- I'm _fine_, Yuzu." He said, but he had to admit that the cold compress really felt good. Tatsuki had a mean right hook that devastated skin... and bone if she wanted.

Yuzu wouldn't have any of his "Tough-Guy" act. She was seriously worried about her older brother! "Next time, you have to react faster so that dad doesn't get you! It looks really bad-it's all swollen and puffy- oooh, you're going to look bad in pictures tomorrow." There was something about Yuzu's fretting that made Ichigo feel...

"I suppose if I cover it with some make-up... it'll cover most of the purple..."

_His little sister was making him feel really guilty…_

"I'm sorry that I made you cry." Ichigo said out of nowhere. The mood in the air turned serious. Even Tatsuki, who was hidden, felt the change. To make things worse, Ichigo really did seem serious about apologizing to his sisters. And that was the final straw for Yuzu.

"No, no, it's me who's REALLY sorry, nii-san! I'm a horrible little sister! I blamed you for ruining Christmas when you didn't do anything at all! I'm really REALLY sorry!!!" Yuzu began to get teary eyed again. "I even got Karin upset, and she got upset at you because I was so silly and, gosh I really messed up everything!" Yuzu blurted out. Ichigo thought for a bit about everything.

"But you were right when you got upset. As a member of this family, I'm supposed to be here during family time. Christmas _is_ family time...and so...I'm sorry for that." Karin and Yuzu stood there stunned. For Ichigo to apologize... to admit he was wrong... to admit that the family is important... God, it was almost like he was trying to say 'I love you' to them! Remember, this is Ichigo we're talking about. Could 'Ichigo' and 'I love you' even be said in the same context? The enormity of this was huge!! Yuzu couldn't take it any more.

"We love you too, Ni-san!" She cried before giving him one hell of a bear hug. The hug initially surprised Ichigo, but once he got over the shock, he caved in and gave his little sister a hug too. (Aw...)

_And then..._

"YUZU!!!! DADDY NEEDS HELP FINDING THE RICE COOKER!!!" came the loud, obnoxious voice from within the house followed by some crashes and other loud noises. The two siblings broke away, looking around to see if the neighbors were watching.

"NEVERMIND, I FOUND IT-WOooOooOAH!" a few more loud crashes emitted from the kitchen window.

"Oh no, he's going to ruin my kitchen!" Yuzu said in distress before running into the house. "Daddy, don't touch anything! I'll cook dinner!"

That left Ichigo and Karin outside in the still snowy outdoors. Karin stood awkwardly in front of her older brother. She didn't like feeling awkward. It always made her feel like squirming. She shoved her hat lower on her head as a form of escape. Even after everything... Karin still couldn't outwardly apologize to Ichigo. She had pride, damnit, and that counted for something!

"...yeah... whatever," Karin shrugged before going back to shoveling the fresh snow that piled up during the conversation. Also feeling a bit awkward, Ichigo decided to do something useful. So he picked up Yuzu's abandon shovel to use. It was heavy, unlike his zanpakuto which always felt light in his hand.

"I'll help." He stated uselessly. Karin just gave a shrug, though inside, she just wanted him to go away. They were about the start when Karin unintentionally broke the ice. Literally.

"Ow! Stupid snow!" She hissed after her ass met cold ice. Not a split second later, her shovel smacked her head. "Ow! What the hell? Stupid shovel, what a piece of junk," Ichigo gave a sharp laugh at this.

"You know... you should respect shovels. They're pretty deadly weapons – especially when they team up with snow." Ichigo teased.

"Ah, shut up. So what?" Karin grumbled back. She didn't bother getting off the snow. It was kind of nice watching the snow fall down again. Her throbbing ass had nothing to do with it... no, really. Ichigo shrugged and joined her on the snow.

"So, respect them."

"Psh, what's so great about shovels? They're stupid." That last comment triggered something inside Ichigo.

"Well... I remember...there was this one time, you were pretty small, and well... I was playing outside in the snow. Tch, I was trying to make the world's biggest snowman… yeah, I know, it sounds stupid. But, anyways... there wasn't enough snow in our yard. So here I was, little me, with this huge snowball in front of me, and no snow left to make the rest of snowman. And you remember how I used to be right?" Ichigo chuckled. Karin also laughed a bit. Tatsuki allowed herself a grin. She sat against the house now, and was pretty much stuck there.

"heheh, yeah but barely... you cried as much as me and Yuzu, right?"

"Yeah, but you can't tell anyone that! Anyways…I was going to cry because I couldn't finish making my snowman... but I didn't."

"You didn't?" Karin raised an eyebrow.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"A snowball hit my head." He pointed to the back of his head. "Right there, and it was **cold**! I turned around, and saw this girl with a shovel staring at me. And let me tell you, she was pretty scary looking..." Tatsuki chuckled silently at this. She knew where this story was going... "Anyways, I asked her, 'why did you hit me?' And she looked at me all funny-like and said that she wasn't hitting me. She was giving me more snow."

"Is there a point to this story?" Karin asked with her voice cracking from barely concealed laughter.

"Well... I dunno... every time I see a shovel, I think of that memory. Later, she shoveled some snow onto our yard to finish the snowman." Ichigo shrugged looking back to the shovel. He could almost hear Tatsuki's laughter from the memory.... almost...

"You're almost as lame as dad!" Karin teased. "That story had no meaning, hardly any plot, and something's seriously wrong if you can have a heart-to-heart talk based on _shovels_. Lame and pointless: I rest my case."

"Ah, but you see, at least you don't hate me anymore." Ichigo announced, all cocky and like himself again. "Mission accomplish: I rest _my_ case."

That stopped Karin for a second.

"...baka." She grumbled before flinging some snow at Ichigo. "I don't hate you." She got up from her seat in the snow, and brushed off her pants. "I was only mad because you were making Yuzu worry too much, that's all!" Karin explained all too quickly. Tatsuki smiled fondly from her hiding spot. Karin was almost as cute as her sister at times. She glanced down at a snowball she unconsciously made while listening to Ichigo's story. She remembered throwing that snowball at Ichigo to bug him, but it backfired when she saw him upset. Sigh... Tatsuki was far too nice for her own good...

"Cheeeh, don't use Yuzu as an excuse for your own actions. Your nose grows longer when you lie." Ichigo chuckled and pinched Karin's nose. Karin twitched with annoyance.

"Liar? You're the liar! That bruise didn't come from dad, did it? It's too small to be from dad... Tatsuki probably gave it to you earlier!" Karin said smugly. Ichigo's eyes narrowed, confirming Karin's theory. "Ah ha! She DID give it to you! Oh my god, YOU were hit by a GIRL!!"

"Tch, no I wasn't! Tatsuki couldn't hit me if she tried!" Ichigo got up and snarled, "And don't you go thinking that she could. She can't, and won't ever hit me." Tatsuki snorted from behind the shed.

"But that girl from your story, it was Tatsuki, wasn't it?" Ichigo shrugged.

"The girl from my story was a lot **uglier** and **meaner**. And her breath smelled like **fish**."

...What. The. Hell.

Ugly? Mean? FISH? Tatsuki was pissed off now. She stood up with her trusty snowball in hand. There was a 90% chance that she would hit her target dead on. Tatsuki didn't care if her spying would be discovered anymore. All she wanted was proof that she can and will hit Kurosaki Ichigo. And so she threw the snowball.

It sailed through the air... going... going... going.... and.....

It missed.

The snowball did not hit the back of Ichigo's head.

What happened was that Karin saw the snowball coming, and from Karin's facial expression, Ichigo had _turned_ around to see what was going on. The moment he turned his head, the snowball connected, giving him the _worst _face wash he had in years.

"Ow, what the fuck??" Ichigo cried while wiping snow from his eyes. Karin was hysterical with laughter.

"Oh, hahahahaha! You got hit!" Karin laughed.

"Ugly and mean, Ichigo?" Tatsuki taunted with another snowball in hand. "You wanna say that again?" She chucked the second snowball, but this time, Ichigo was ready and dodged it easily.

"Yeah, okay.... You're worse than the girl in my story; both uglier and meaner!" Ichigo said with a grin. "And your breath even smells fishier!"

"...Bastard!" Tatsuki charged with another snowball... this time she'll RUB it in his face!!!

"Come on, bring it!" Ichigo taunted

"Run, run, run!" Karin exclaimed, not really taking sides, but edging them on nonetheless. And thus started an all out snowball war…

"Oh shit, I have snow in my ear," cursed Tatsuki while trying to dig it out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you want some in your nose too? Hahaha, ow! That was my face!"

"Ha! You talk too much. Ow! Karin?! You're supposed to stick with girls in this war!"

"Hah! She's on my side! Take that Tatsuki! Oof! Hey, watch where you're aiming! What side are you on anyways?"

"MY SIDE of course!!" Karin exclaimed and chucked two balls at once.

The sounds of laughter made Kurosaki Isshin smile proudly. He peaked through the blinds to see his children shrieking with fun. He also found, much to his amusement, that his sidewalk was covered in snow again. It didn't matter though; it might even be a good thing... "Hey dad, can you tell them that dinner is ready?" Yuzu asked cheerfully. She was happy that she saved dinner just in time and shuddered to think what would have happened if her father did cook dinner. Isshin opened the window to give the call. Karin ran in right away since the two older kids were ganging up against her. The other two took longer... neither one wanting to be the loser of the battle.

"I'll go in if you go in." Tatsuki compromised with her snowball in hand juust in case.

"Well, I'll go in if you go in." Ichigo said

"I will, but you have to put down your snowball first." Tatsuki said

"No, you put it down first." Ichigo said. Isshin chuckled from above. Those two... they were grown teenagers, but acted like six year olds.

"Kay fine! On the count of three! One...two....THREE." The two took their last shot at each other in hopes to get the last hit. They both missed. As they came running into the house, Kurosaki Isshin swore he saw a little Tatsuki and a little Ichigo coming in from the cold, young and naive... and not a care in the world...

Isshin never felt more proud.

* * *

**A/N:** So... Sometimes during Christmas I get these really warm and fuzzy feelings that come out of nowhere. These feelings are what I'm trying to capture in this chapter, but... sometimes even just trying to describe them was difficult. Unlike some really gifted people, words often fail me and cause me to go into really bad bouts of Writer's Block. Also, during my first draft, I realized that these feelings aren't always there during Christmas – the magical feeling is gone, and all you feel is the stress of accommodating clashing personalities and obligations.

I can't help but feel like I'm searching for the essence of Christmas while writing this fic... and that's why it's taking so long and causing me so much grief, haha! I hope everyone else is discovering their own Christmas this year, so Merry Christmas! I hope to hear about it!

_Even though things change_

_The important things stay the same._

Further chapters may have a slightly different writing style/ writing focus since my style tends to change as the fic and I grow older…

_Flower on thewind_


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